Making Tea - is EZ.... & Cheap !

Can I use my own poo? LOL I am laughing right now. Should I try and let you know how it goes?

Ohsogreen, you gave the following recipe for a veg tea:

two gallons of unchlorinated water & add :

(2) Level teaspoons of High N Bat Guano
(1) Level cup of Worm Castings
(1) ounce of molasses
(2) ounces of SPT

I'm letting my water dechlorinate and then I'll brew up a batch.

Do you have a tea recipe for flowering? Do you keep feeding molasses, or is the N too high?

I'm starting a new grow - all organic S.O.G. I wood be happy to hear any suggestions. Link to my journal is in my sig.

Thanks!

kaydub said:

Ohsogreen, you gave the following recipe for a veg tea:

two gallons of unchlorinated water & add :

(2) Level teaspoons of High N Bat Guano
(1) Level cup of Worm Castings
(1) ounce of molasses
(2) ounces of SPT

I'm letting my water dechlorinate and then I'll brew up a batch.

Do you have a tea recipe for flowering? Do you keep feeding molasses, or is the N too high?

I'm starting a new grow - all organic S.O.G. I wood be happy to hear any suggestions. Link to my journal is in my sig.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

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Kaydub.... A simple tea formula for flowering is :
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two gallons of unchlorinated water & add :

(2) Level teaspoons of High P Bat Guano
(1) Level cup of Worm Castings
(1/2) ounce of molasses
(1) ounce of SPT

After you bubble your tea with this mix, give each plant only one quart (per week max) or two quarts if you are feeding every other week.
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It is OK to keep feeding the molasses at 1/2 ounce to one gallon of water; that is not too much Nitrogen. Just enough to keep Mary happy as she finishes.
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Keep it Real...Organic...

Cool, thanks!

So if I start out with Foxfarm soil and these two teas, is there anything else I need to get started growing organic? Do I need to worry about soil amendments, top dressing, etc, or is this enough to get me going?

Sorry if I'm asking you to repeat yourself, there are just so many threads, so many posts that it's hard for me to get a handle on it all - information overload.

Thanks again for all your help.

kaydub said:

Cool, thanks!

So if I start out with Foxfarm soil and these two teas, is there anything else I need to get started growing organic? Do I need to worry about soil amendments, top dressing, etc, or is this enough to get me going?

Sorry if I'm asking you to repeat yourself, there are just so many threads, so many posts that it's hard for me to get a handle on it all - information overload.

Thanks again for all your help.

Click to expand...

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Kaydub.... Foxfarm soil is real good quality, but a bit hot (nute wise). I'd cut it with some spaghum peat moss, 50 / 50.
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Then don't feed Mary any fert teas until the end of week four of veg growth.
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You can still make the teas - just leave out the guanos until after week four - since Ocean Forest soil is full of nutes already. Once they get used down a bit, the teas will keep Mary healthy / happy.
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The only other thing I would pick up, some epsom salt. Any drug store has epsom salt and so does walmart. Then later, after preflowering - adding a teaspoon to your tea - every other time you make it - will prevent mag deficiency.
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Hope this helps...
Keep it Real...Organic...

Excellent, thanks for the info!

For the epsom salts, are you using 1 t/gal or per 2 gallon batch of tea?
Thanks!

Hi,
I have a problem with my tea smelling realy foul like shit almost after leaving it out for two to three days at room temp. What is the shelf life of home made tea, and how should I store it.
I use home made worm casting and seabird guano and a little sugar for the microbes.
At this point im ready to give up on the tea thing if it cant be stored!
Thanks

If you have an air pump supplying your tea with oxygen, then it should not go bad. If you are doing the hand mixing (shaking/stirring), then the shelf life is like two to three days. Never put that foul smelling stuff on your girls. Invest in an airpump, tea smells and looks better and last longer.

My local shop brews a worm casting and Alaskan hume oil tea. They give out free gallons on Wed and Sat. They say it should be cut into 4 or more gallons. I asked if it was good as long as I bubbled it and they said the live bacteria and fungi are best used within the day and to use any leftover on yard plants. But I don't see why if it was bubbled it wouldn't be good for a few days. I can only use 3 qts of it at a time if the stars all align and the whole garden is ready for water. It would be good to know it would be good for a couple of days. Would adding water and or molasses do anything for this mix in terms of extending shelf life?

this thread should be stickyed

Adding molases seems to make it worst. It puts the microbes in overdrive making them eat more then secreting waste that seems to be what makes the tea go rancid quicker than brewing with out sugars. I found that with the air pump it does stay fresher, but isnt very convenient. Why is it that we can by worm oil to make worm tea from stores and that stay long on the shelf?
Quick caution, sea bird guano used incorectly will burn your plants, I over did mine lastnite to wake up to yellowing leaves that will be dead by the time i get home
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years to all

ghostsamurai25 said:

Adding molases seems to make it worst. It puts the microbes in overdrive making them eat more then secreting waste that seems to be what makes the tea go rancid quicker than brewing with out sugars. I found that with the air pump it does stay fresher, but isnt very convenient. Why is it that we can by worm oil to make worm tea from stores and that stay long on the shelf?
Quick caution, sea bird guano used incorectly will burn your plants, I over did mine lastnite to wake up to yellowing leaves that will be dead by the time i get home
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years to all

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I stopped adding molasses when I use SPT (use with water only) because if I aerated it to mix and stabilize pH, the pH seems to continue to drop and is very resistant to try to increase it. I now use ag lime mixed with my FFOF/perlite to keep the soil from becoming acidic. Don't know if what I am seeing is just me...

Any advantage of Tea?
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Hey OHSOGREEN,

So do you think there is any advantage to making your own tea as opposed to just using the pre-made organic Grow It Green and Flower Power in conjunction with the Super Plant Tonic made by Blue Mountain Organics.
(I must add that these are fantastic products available at a can't beat it price!!!, having used them in a veggie and herb garden.)
Also, do you personally still use molasses when using either these products or t

Sara the Poet in my Heart said:

Any advantage of Tea?
permalink
Hey OHSOGREEN,

So do you think there is any advantage to making your own tea as opposed to just using the pre-made organic Grow It Green and Flower Power in conjunction with the Super Plant Tonic made by Blue Mountain Organics.
(I must add that these are fantastic products available at a can't beat it price!!!, having used them in a veggie and herb garden.)
Also, do you personally still use molasses when using either these products or t

Click to expand...

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Sara the Poet in my Heart..... The short anwser - No.
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I've always been a DIY (Do it yourself) guy and just like making teas. I agree, the cost of the BMO stuff is very reasonable. So for those who do not have the space or the time to make their own, the BMO stuff is a good choice.
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Since tea making takes time and the other only takes money - it's really just a personal choice. No advantage - one over the other.
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Both will get the job done with good results.
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I do mix a small amount of molasses (one ounce) to 2 & 1/2 gallons of unchlorinated water - add two ounces of SPT and let it bubble. After a couple of days - I use this as a maintenance tea, when I water my girls.
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I like to feed (fertilize) one week, then use only water (plus mild tonics) the next - in constant rotation. This helps keep the micro-beastie (good bacteria & myco fungi) population up and avoids the two biggest problems - Overwatering & Overfeeding.
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Hope this helps...
Keep it Real...Organic..

Thanks for the info...Oh...do you use the foliar spray?

Ohsogreen, I'm doing an organic SOG grow (link in sig). I've brewed a couple of batches of tea per your instructions, but something is peculiar: the teas don't seem to be "alive". There is no smell other than a faint whiff of molasses, no scum, no bubbles, just brown liquid that doesn't seem to change over the three days of bubbling.

two gallons of unchlorinated water & add :

(2) Level teaspoons of High N Bat Guano
(1) Level cup of Worm Castings
(1) ounce of molasses
(2) ounces of SPT

Is something killing my microbeasties, or maybe I have a bad bottle of SPT?

I'm dechlorinating the water with Amquel, a fish tank dechlorinator, because my local water is treated with chloramine.

Maybe I'll try bottled water for my next tea?

Or maybe this is normal?

kaydub said:

Ohsogreen, I'm doing an organic SOG grow (link in sig). I've brewed a couple of batches of tea per your instructions, but something is peculiar: the teas don't seem to be "alive". There is no smell other than a faint whiff of molasses, no scum, no bubbles, just brown liquid that doesn't seem to change over the three days of bubbling.

two gallons of unchlorinated water & add :

(2) Level teaspoons of High N Bat Guano
(1) Level cup of Worm Castings
(1) ounce of molasses
(2) ounces of SPT

Is something killing my microbeasties, or maybe I have a bad bottle of SPT?

I'm dechlorinating the water with Amquel, a fish tank dechlorinator, because my local water is treated with chloramine.

Maybe I'll try bottled water for my next tea?

Or maybe this is normal?

Click to expand...

If you just bubble your water for a day, that should be enough to get rid of the chlorine, then you could add your amendments.

SimpleSimon said:

If you just bubble your water for a day, that should be enough to get rid of the chlorine, then you could add your amendments.

Click to expand...

This is true, but kaydub is trying to remove Chloramine which will not evaporate.

Kaydub.... That chloramine is some tough stuff to get rid of. More than likely some of it is still in your water & this stuff is deadly to micro-beasties.
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Your idea to use bottled water, would be an easy way to confirm - the status of your SPT. More than likely it's still alive.
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To make sure, pour the contents of your SPT bottle into a clean, empty soda bottle, then back into the SPT bottle a couple of times to add oxygen, the add an ounce of fresh (unchlorinated) water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Leave the cap loose overnight, then tighten it. 8 hours later, loosen it and if pressure is released or you see bubbles - it's still alive & well.
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Hope this helps...
Keep it Real...Organic....